World number two Carlos Alcaraz’s quest for the “Sunshine Double” was cut short in the Miami Open quarter-finals, as he was outplayed by Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
Dimitrov, who had previously defeated Alcaraz in Shanghai, displayed exceptional form, dictating the pace of the match with aggressive net play and precise groundstrokes. The Bulgarian broke Alcaraz’s serve early in both sets, forcing the Spaniard to play catch-up.
Despite Alcaraz’s attempts to rally, Dimitrov remained unyielding, breaking the Spaniard’s serve again in the final game of the match to seal the victory.
“In order to win against him, you have to play at your best,” said Dimitrov. “I came into the match very focused and I think extremely clear on what I had to do.”
Alcaraz acknowledged Dimitrov’s brilliance, admitting that he had no answer to his opponent’s performance.
“I have a lot of frustrations right now, because he made me feel like I’m 13 years old,” said Alcaraz. “I don’t know what I have to do. I don’t know his weakness.”
In the other quarter-final, Germany’s Alexander Zverev overcame rising Hungarian Fabian Marozsan in two sets, 6-3, 7-5. Zverev’s powerful serve proved too much for Marozsan, who struggled to find his rhythm throughout the match.
Zverev will now face Dimitrov in the semi-finals, while the other semi-final will feature Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, a rematch of the Australian Open final won by Sinner.
